Who is allowed to serve papers
Under the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, court papers can be served by a sheriff or deputy, a constable, a certified private process server, or another person the court appoints. The people involved in the case cannot serve the papers themselves.
How the two compare
| Sheriff or constable | Private process server | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Serving papers is one of many duties | Serving papers is the whole job |
| Timing of attempts | Set by the office's schedule | Planned around when the person is actually there |
| If the address is old | Usually returned as unable to serve | Can locate the person, with an investigation agency |
| Evasive recipients | Limited extra effort | Varied attempts and stakeouts when needed |
| Updates | Varies | Direct contact with the server |
When a private server makes sense
- You have a deadline and cannot wait in a queue.
- The person has moved, works odd hours or lives somewhere hard to reach.
- You expect them to avoid service.
- You want to know exactly what happened on each attempt.
Where Blue Copper fits
We are a certified Arizona process server and a licensed investigation agency, so hard-to-serve recipients are where we do our best work. We find people who have moved, plan attempts around their real routine, and provide a Proof of Service, with routine (3 to 5 days) or rush (1 to 2 days) service and optional notarization. Send a serve request or call (602) 456-1771.